Brooklyn Children's Museum

The Brooklyn Children's Museum holds the distinction of being the first museum in the world created expressly for children, and 125+ years later, it's still one of the best. Located in Brower Park in Crown Heights, the museum underwent a major expansion and renovation and now occupies a bright, modern building that's purpose-built for the sticky-hands demographic.

The Totally Tots section (ages 0-5) is the standout. The water play area lets toddlers dam, pour, and splash with real flowing water. The pretend pizza parlor has a working (pretend) oven and all the fixings for tiny chefs.

The construction zone has oversized soft blocks for building and demolishing. It's the kind of space where a parent can sit on a bench for 45 minutes while their toddler is completely absorbed.

For older kids (5-9), the museum has natural history specimens they can touch, a live animal collection (snakes, turtles, bugs), and rotating maker-space workshops. The cultural exhibits draw from the museum's collection of 30,000+ objects from around the world, presented in ways that are tactile rather than visual.

The Crown Heights location means it's less touristy than Manhattan museums and the crowd is heavily local. The C or 3 trains get you there easily. There's no on-site cafe, so bring snacks or plan to eat at one of the excellent nearby restaurants — Peppa's Jerk Chicken on Rogers Avenue is a Crown Heights institution.